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In radio, like many businesses, people rise through the ranks to finally be promoted into leadership positions. You started out on air, then added on an assistant programming role and finally became a Program/Content Director. Then perhaps your role expanded to Group Programming.But along the way, you probably had no formal training on how to become an effective leader.Not everyone makes a good leader. Some people in formal leadership positions are poor leaders and many people exercising leadership have no formal authority.McKinsey & Company recently published an article titled “What is Leadership?”.Here are a few salient points from the article.“All leaders, to a certain degree, do the same thing. Whether you’re talking about an executive, manager, sports coach, or schoolteacher, leadership is about guiding and impacting outcomes, enabling groups of people to work together to accomplish what they couldn’t do working individually. In this sense, leadership is something you do, not something you are.What’s more, leadership is not something people are born with—it is a skill you can learn. Just as for leadership more broadly, today’s environment requires CEOs to lead very differently. Recent research indicates that one-third to one-half of new CEOs fail within 18 months.There are many contexts and ways in which leadership is exercised. But, according to McKinsey analysis of academic literature as well as a survey of nearly 200,000 people in 81 organizations all over the world, there are four types of behavior that account for 89 percent of leadership effectivenes:
Being supportive
Operating with a strong results orientation
Seeking different perspectives
Solving problems effectively
Effective leaders know that what works in one situation will not necessarily work every time. Leadership strategies must reflect each organization’s context and stage of evolution.How is leadership evolving?In the past, leadership was called “management,” with an emphasis on providing technical expertise and direction.What are the limits of traditional management styles?Traditional management was revolutionary in its day and enormously effective in building large-scale global enterprises that have materially improved lives over the past 200 years. However, with the advent of the 21st century, this approach is reaching its limits.For one thing, this approach doesn’t guarantee happy or loyal managers or workers. Indeed, a large portion of American workers—56 percent— claim their boss is mildly or highly toxic , while 75 percent say dealing with their manager is the most stressful part of their workday.For 21st-century organizations operating in today’s complex business environment, a fundamentally new and more effective approach to leadership is emerging.What is the emerging new approach to leadership?This new approach to leadership is sometimes described as “servant leadership.” While there has been some criticism of the nomenclature, the idea itself is simple: rather than being a manager directing and controlling people, a more effective approach is for leaders to be in service of the people they lead. The focus is on how leaders can make the lives of their team members easier— physically, cognitively, and emotionally.How can leaders communicate effectively?Good, clear communication is a leadership hallmark. Fundamental tools of effective communication include:
Defining and pointing to long-term goals
Listening to and understanding stakeholders
Creating openings for dialogue communicating proactively
And in times of uncertainty, these things are important for crisis communicators:
Give people what they need, when they need it
Communicate clearly, simply, and frequently
Choose candour over charisma
Revitalize a spirit of resilience
Distil meaning from chaos
Support people, teams, and organizations to build the capability for self-sufficiency
As McKinsey points out, like many things, leadership as a concept is evolving, especially as a result of the pandemic. If you’re in a leadership position at a radio station, ensure your style fits with what is required in 2022…. not 2002.By David Kidd, BPR […]

The National Press Club has partnered with the New York Festivals® 2023 Radio Awards to create an exclusive new award, The National Press Club Award.The National Press Club Award will go to the highest scoring news program across the Best Coverage Of Breaking News Story, Best Coverage Of Ongoing News Story, Best Nonfiction Series and News Podcast categories.  The inaugural winner will be announced during the New York Festivals 2023 Storytellers Gala on April 18th.The National Press Club is the World’s Leading Professional Organization for Journalists™. It serves its members through professional development activities that bolster their skills, through services that meet the changing needs of the global communications profession and through social activities that build a vital media community in Washington and around the world. The Club is where news happens in the nation’s capital and is a vigorous advocate of press freedom worldwide.“We are grateful to New York Festivals for recognizing the great work being done in journalism today and so honored to now have an NYF storytelling award named after The National Press Club,” said Jen Judson, President, National Press Club.“Journalists today are finding new ways to keep listeners informed in our ever-changing and interconnected world.  With the National Press Club Award, the Radio Awards shines a spotlight on the audio journalists and reporters who are committed to using their talents to tell the stories that matter,” said Rose Anderson, VP, Executive Director, New York Festivals Radio AwardsThe New York Festivals Radio Awards 65-year legacy provides a showcase to celebrate world-class storytellers from around the globe.  Since 1957 the competition has celebrated innovation and excellence in broadcast audio content across all genres and platforms keeping pace with industry developments and global trends.  All entries within the competition are judged by international panels of award-winning creative professionals who are respected creative professionals within the broadcast industry.The entry deadline for the 2023 Radio Awards competition is January 31, 2023. To enter please visit: HERE.All 2023 award winners will be celebrated at the NYF Storytellers Gala taking place on April 18th at the 2023 NAB Show Centennial in Las Vegas. This is the 13th year of New York Festivals strategic partnership with NAB.To view the 2022 NYF Radio Award winners showcase, visit: HERE. […]

GatesAir, a Thomson Broadcast subsidiary dedicated to wireless content delivery, continues to shape the future of over-the-air infrastructure with unique transmitter designs that solve coverage challenges old and new. GatesAir last year unveiled its Maxiva PMTX-1 outdoor transmitter series for UHF broadcasters, establishing a new era of transmitter design initiatives with the broadcast industry’s first self-contained, fully weatherproof transmitter series. The company now takes its successful innovation to VHF TV and DAB Radio broadcasters, providing more customers with a versatile transmitter series built for challenging coverage areas and unusual install points.Same as its UHF predecessor, the Maxiva PMTX-1 integrates a low-power transmitter or transposer/translator to support a diverse array of VHF and DAB use cases, from filling coverage gaps to delivering focused broadcast content as a spot transmitter. Its rugged, telecom-grade enclosure makes the PMTX-1 impervious to weather elements, with adaptability to any climate or outdoor environment thanks to its sealed protective shell. The VHF version covers channels 7 through 13 and is mainly marketed for use in North America and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. In mixed spectrum networks, broadcasters can take in a UHF signal and translate it to a VHF output, for example.The DAB version is viable for countries that have adopted DAB/DAB+ as its digital radio standard in regions outside North America, with especially strong business opportunities in Europe and APAC. In Europe, the PMTX-1 simplifies DAB broadcast service for tunnels, complex terrain that limits coverage, and areas shadowed by buildings and other obstacles.“We work with many TV broadcasters in the western half of the United States and Canada that rely on signal hops between multiple sites to cover broadcast markets challenged by mountainous terrain or widely dispersed territories,” said Ted Lantz, Vice President, Product Line Management, GatesAir. “If you look at DAB networks in Europe, we have many customers seeking better ways to add low-power transmitters to road tunnels to ensure uninterrupted service for travelers. They also want cost and power-efficient options to install low-power transmitters and gap fillers outdoors in very remote, often harsh climates to cover small villages and populations. The PMTX-1 provides a host of new deployment options to simplify network coverage and penetrate these very hard-to-reach areas in ways that make financial sense.”Lantz cites one example where broadcasters can save money by using the pole-mount installation option. “We are working with a customer in the US that intends to add a single-bay VHF dipole antenna to the side of a cellular tower and mount the PMTX-1 on an adjacent pole,” he said. “There are no facility costs involved; the broadcaster is simply renting the tower space at a very reasonable cost.”In addition to pole-mount configurations, the PMTX-1 also mounts securely to building structures and traditional broadcast towers, providing broadcasters and network operators with seemingly endless outdoor installation scenarios. That makes the PMTX-1 ideal for single-frequency network (SFN) configurations where multiple transmitters operate on the same frequency to maximize signal penetration. The PMTX-1 is also available for analog TV networks (100 W), with a field-upgradeable path to DTV (50 W for ATSC, DVB-T, DVB-T2 and ISDB-Tb.Field operations are also simplified through the Maxiva PMTX-1’s clever one-piece design, which removes all moving parts and air filters to eliminate most maintenance requirements. The sealed metal housing efficiently removes heat from the internal circuitry and performs well in extreme temperatures and humidity levels. This innovative and effective approach to heat management maximizes efficiency and keeps utility costs low.The PMTX-1 VHF and DAB version is almost analogous to the UHF version in design characteristics and componentry, with the mask filter and power amplifier as the only exceptions. The PMTX-1’s optional RF receiver input supports flexible options for translator and transposer configurations and will reliably regenerate content for very targeted coverage areas at low power levels. Broadcasters can add optional inputs to support DVB-S/S2 receivers and IP transport streams, and accept broadcast content and data from alternate sources.“These additional inputs are also very helpful for solving coverage problems,” added Lantz. “By adding a satellite card, we can receive content from satellite and retransmit that information to a local population. That is very helpful for DAB Radio, where we see a lot of very remote sites that lack a network or microwave connection, and satellite is the only option. This is all about solving problems for our customers no matter where their viewers live.” […]

Content from BPR.A recent research study found that millennials are not having enough sex. So early in September, the marketing gurus at the Lithuanian snack brand, CHAZZ, used that insight to create a new range of chips. Vagina-flavoured chips to be precise.I’m serious.There are two ways to look at this.One: CHAZZ, a small Lithuanian company has suddenly made headlines around the world. Hey, we are talking about it here!Two: what is CHAZZ going to do with this new found attention?If the purpose was to get more people to buy their other products then that MAY work. I say MAY because if the CHAZZ product range is sub-standard then all this extra publicity will do is get consumers to pay for something that they may later regret. Successful brands need more than a quick laugh to last.Think of joke products and outrageous stunts as being similar to clickbait. People can’t help but click to find out more– you saw “vagina chips” in the title of this article and you had to click…didn’t you? 😀But if the article or product doesn’t live up to the hype that the title implies, then you’re more likely to turn people off than leave them wanting more.It’s no different to a low rating radio station pulling of a massive stunt that captures market headlines and TV coverage. People start to tune in out of curiosity to hear what all the fuss is about. But what they hear is the same old stuff that’s the root cause of the low ratings……. a boring Morning Show, a strategically wrong music position, poorly scheduled music, poorly selected music, etc.Next time you’re planning that massive publicity seeking stunt or the biggest contest giveaway in your market’s history, ask yourself “is my station sounding the best it can possibly can?”, “is the Morning Show sounding great?”, “is the music 100% on target, both the selection of songs and their placement?”.What does your research say……is your station catering to what the listener wants to hear…..or is it catering to what you think they want to hear?Something to think about before your Street Team heads out for a suburban blitz giving away icy cold cans of Coke and ABC FM’s Vagina Chips!By David Kidd, BPR […]

Selling Radio Direct with Pat BrysonWhen I’m in a market, I often “go shopping” in local stores to see if I experience exceptional service from anyone. I’ve found some good salespeople that way, not to mention contributing to the local economy.Anyway, I was in a small market of 11,000 people. Like so many other small towns, the main street has shrunk due to the Walmarts of the world. In this town, there is a family that is rejuvenating many of the downtown properties. They have two businesses on the town square. They also have two businesses several miles away. It was into one of those businesses that I wandered.The store is called Dear Yesteryear. When I first entered, I noticed how beautifully it was merchandised. But the biggest surprise: the young woman behind the counter greeted me, welcomed me in, pointed out the section on sale and directed me to coffee in the kitchen. I was so in shock by being greeted at all that I nearly passed out. As I wandered the aisles, she was available to answer questions.I picked up a couple of items I could no longer live without and proceeded to the checkout counter. This is where it got REALLY interesting. I mentioned that this was my first time in the store. She offered me a Scentsy refill as a gift for coming in. Then, she proceeded to tell me that they have a second store next door, Elladees boutique. Had I visited it? No. Would I? Yes….the recycling of a customer intrigued me. (I also found out she had worked there two weeks, had a background in graphic design and liked sales. I gave her my card.)The saga continued when I went next door to Elladees Boutique. I again was greeted and invited to shop their sale rack. And, did I know they had a store next door? Yes. Did I know about their two stores on the square? She had a small map of their locations and pointed out how to get there. The map contained a 20% off one item coupon. She also told me that this ladies’ dress shop expanded during the COVID shutdown. They moved their children’s wear to the square. I was now more than impressed. This company was turning one set of footsteps into multiple footsteps. And, they had used the COVID shutdown to EXPAND!The next day I visited the other two stores, the children’s boutique and a home decor store. I was again greeted. I must admit, I was a bit disappointed that these stores didn’t direct me to the first two. Again, the stores were beautifully merchandised and were an inviting place to spend money.Why am I sharing this story? Consumers learned new shopping habits during 2020. Some will continue to choose virtual shopping. Many would like to shop locally but they will not go out of their way to do so. Couple this sentiment with the difficulty of local merchants to find staff, and you have a potential loss of business. But they can succeed. These clerks were well trained. They knew their merchandise. And they knew how to win the hearts and minds of customers and circulate them among their brands.So often, we hear that “My advertising didn’t work.” In reality, the store’s staff didn’t work. This was one of the smartest marketing techniques I’ve encountered lately. Talk about upselling a customer!Our local businesses need our expertise. Perhaps share this story with them as they prepare for Christmas crowds. Consumers are spending somewhere: let it be with our clients! […]

Launched just over a year ago, the Adthos synthetic platform, has won the BaM Awards® 2022 in London, in the Monetize category.“We are thrilled to announce that Adthos has won the IABM Award for Global Monetization!,” says Raoul Wedel, (pictured) the Founder of Wedel Software, the organisation behind Adthos.”“This award is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of our team and our commitment to delivering the highest quality products and services to our customers. We are honored to receive this recognition from IABM and we look forward to continuing to make a positive impact in the industry.” […]